The Maronite Servants
of Christ the Light were in Houston, Texas for the Sixth Annual Maronite Young
Adult (MYA) Workshop on Friday, October 31st to Monday, November 3rd,
2014. The workshop theme was GPS – God, People, Self: Searching for the Light,
with approximately 180 young adults in attendance from throughout the U.S.
One of the main
speakers was Paul Thomas, who gave a personal testimony of his conversion
story, after a long period of drug abuse. His story was inspirational as he
described how Jesus’ divine grace and light pursued him in his darkest times
and led him back to the arms of the Maronite Catholic Church.
Sr. Therese Maria assisted the MYA group during Morning Prayer
with a moving reflection on Christ as the Light, with a particular emphasis on
how to seek the light of Christ in our troubled world. Natalie Salameh also
shared her journey of faith to the group, and was very much encouraged by a
number of the young adults present.
The MYA group was given an opportunity during a Q & A
session with their Excellencies Bishop Gregory Mansour, Bishop Elias Zaidan and
other priests from our eparchies to open up about some of the issues the
Catholic Church is now facing and that they are struggling with personally. In
particular, the young adults were interested in the Church teaching on artificial
contraception and same-sex attraction.
The MYA also had the opportunity in their program to go to
confession during a beautiful hour of adoration, and to receive the Holy
Mysteries during Divine Liturgy celebrated by their Excellencies and other eparchial
clergy.